Mechanical attachment or device replacing connecting rods between lift arms on tractor and pull tugs



Feb 7, 1967 0. PITZER 3,3@,7Z

MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT OR DEVICE REPLACING CONNECTING RODS BETWEEN LIFTARMS ON TRACTOR AND FULL TUGS Filed Dec. 50, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ll 1(I if!wwwnmmnmumwfg 0 IN VEN TOR.

Feb. 7, 1967 A. o. PITZER 393929729 MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT OR DEVICEREPLACING CONNECTING RODS BETWEEN LIFT ARMS ON TRACTOR AND PULL TUGSFiled Dec. 30, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ,454 0 9725? Ffib. 7,1967 A- n- BBQZJZ MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT OR DEVICE REPLACING CONNECTINGRODS BETWEEN LIFT ARMS ON TRACTOR AND FULL TUGS Filed Dec. 30, 1964 3Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent l 3,302,729 MECHANICAL ATTACHMENT OR DEVICE RE-PLACING CONNECTING RGDS BETWEEN LIFT ARMS 0N TRACTOR AND FULL TUGS Asa0. Pitzer, Felt, Okla. 73937 Filed Dec. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 422,330 3Claims. (Cl. 172414) The present invention relates to an improvedattachment for replacing connecting rods between lift arms of a tractor,and more particularly the invention relates to an attachment useful inthe control of gage wheels or depth control means for any tool useful ona tractcr that penetrates the soil without using other means, such ashydraulic or energycontrolled devices.

The preferred form of the invention is an attachment by which one usesonly the levers that raise and lower the tools and no other means, suchas a hydraulic system including its cylinder, is necessary. When theattachment of the invention is installed and the control lever isactuated for positioning the tool in the up position, the lift armsraise outside of a square tube or sliding tube to position a stop pin. Ahydraulic lift arm, as well as other lever arms, are reactivated andconnected to gage wheels, and activates them without raising the tool.After the stop pin is within the square tube, it will pull the tool allthe way out of the ground as desired.

Thus it is seen that the present invention provides a mechanicalattachment or device for replacing connecting rods between lift arms ontractors and pull tugs.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent upon full consideration of the following detailed descriptionand accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a broken away, side elevational view showing in part atractor with the mechanical attachment according to the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a broken away view of the essential components in a planview of the mechanical attachment of the present invention;

FIGURE 3 hows a broken away perspective view of the sliding slot andstop pin of the invention;

FIGURES 4 and 4a show detailed views of the pull springs and theirattending coupling mechanisms; and

FIGURE 5 shows a perspective view of the attachment mechanism includingthe sliding slot and the pull springs in a given construction accordingto the preferred embodiment of the invention.

The attachment of the invention is for the control of the gage wheels,or for the control of the depth that any tool that may be used infarming and earth moving for penetrating or impacting against the soilwithout using any other hydraulic means, except the hydraulic means thatare built in and are supplied with the tractor in a conventional way, asthe tractors are built and sold commercially at the present time. Withthe attachment of the invention, one need only use the levers that raiseand lower the tools without any other cylinder or hydraulic meansadditionally being required. When the attachment of the invention isinstalled, and one activates the control lever for UP position, the liftarms raise outside of a square or sliding tube in telescopic arrangementto position a stop pin in place. In this manner, the attachment of theinvention as coupled to the hydraulic lift arm is activated and, alsohaving the other end being connected to the gage wheels, they are thuscaused to be activated without the use of raising tools. After theattachment engages the stop pin that is in the sliding slot, then thetools are pulled all the way out of the ground, as desired.

Thus, it is seen that the improvement and invention is 3,3QZJZ9 PatentedFeb. 7, 1967 ice not an invention to control the gage wheels out of theground, but for controlling them when the tool to which they areattached is in the ground so as to gage the depth of the penetration ofthe soil according to the desires and control of the operator. When thehydraulic control lever is pulled into the UP position, and the toolcomes out of the ground, the gage wheels come up and off of the groundand are taken care of in this way automatically.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown inFIGURE 1 a rear portion of a tractor 10 in which there is a farmimplement 12 shown in part being drawn by the tractor. Connecting thetractor to the farm implement 12 is the tractor pull tug 14 which isconnected by a pin 16 at the tractor and a pin 18 at the farm implement.The attachment 20a as more particularly shown in FIGURE 5, comprisingthe V arms 20 with the pair of telescopic arms 22, 24, are shownconnected to the tractor pull tug 14 at one end and to a hydraulic liftarm 64, 64 which is also shown at the distal end as being pivotallyconnected to the tractor by pin 30.

The attachment 20a includes a levelling screw 32, 34 for the pair oftelescopic arms 22, 24, as well as a pair of pull springs 36, 38 and 40,42.

The telescopic arms 22 comprise a pair of members that areinterengagingly constructed of an inner and an outer tubing that isgenerally square in configuration. The outer or female member 44 is of atubing construction and is connected at one end to the levelling screw32, and a portion of the female member is provided with an elongatedslot 48. The outer member engages an inner or male member 50, and thereis provided certain apertures 52, 52 for receiving a stop pin or bolt54. The bolt 54 includes a nut and washer for holding it in place, asdesired.

While FIGURE 2 shows the general arrangement of the tractor pull tug 14between the tractor 10 and the farm implement 12, it is seen that theattachment means of the present invention is disposed between lines 44of FIGURE 2 and as more clearly shown in FIGURE 4. Also incident to thepresent invention, there are provided for connecting between the V arms20 and the rock shaft a connecting rod arrangement 60 that is threadedlyad justed in length to provide the necessary adjustment between the Varms 20 and the hydraulic lift arms 64.

By actuation of the hydraulic lift arms 64, 64 in the conventionalmanner, and by use of the additionally provided V arms 20 and theattachment arm 60, there is provided the result of the present inventionby use of the attachment including the fixed spring members 36, 38, 40,42, together with the telescopic arms with their respective elongatedslots and stop pins. FIGURE 3 shows that instead of the threadedadjustment that may be made in connection means 60, that a stop pin andadjustable bar arrangement 60a may be provided in lieu of the treadedcouplings as shown in FIGURE 2.

The V arms 20 as shown in FIGURE 5, are connected to the pins 68, 68 atone end, also shown in FIGURE 2 and are connected to the rock arm 60a bypin 70 as is shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. As shown in FIGURE 3, anymovement of the rock arm 60, 60a is transferred to the rock shaft 65,which in turn is connected to a gage wheel arm 69 that pushes down asshown in FIGURE 2 on a gage wheel 67 which will control the depth of thetool in the ground according to the desire of the operator on thetractor. This is accomplished by using the conventional hydraulic meansas connected to the hydraulic lift arms 64, 64 selectively that areprovided respectively on the tractor 10. A rock shaft 65 is attached tothe adjustable bar arrangement 60a, as shown, and a gage wheel 67 isconnected to the rock shaft.

It should be understood that the specific apparatus herein illustratedand described are intended to be representative only, as many changesmay be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of theinvention. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claimsin determining the full scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for controlling gage wheels and tools being lifted out of orinto the ground by a tractor having a pair of hydraulic lift arms and apair of pull tugs, said means including a tool bar pivotally connectedto said pull tugs, a rock shaft connected to said tool bar, gage leverarm mean connected to said rock shaft and having gage wheel meansmounted thereon, a rock arm connected to said rock shaft, a V-shapedmember having the ends of the arms thereof connected to said lift armsand having the other end connected to said rock arm, said attachmentmeans further including square-configured telescopically adjustable maleand female members having one end pivotally connected to said lift armsand the other end pivotally connected to said pull tugs, said femalemembers each having an elongated slot in a peripheral portion thereof,said male members each having a stop pin insertable therein and forengaging an end of the elongated slot when in operation for lifting saidgage wheels and tools from out of the ground and means to bias said maleand female members into engagement with each other for displacing saidstop pin from an end of the elongated slot.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein pull springs are providedto provide the bias means for said telescopic members.

3. The invention according to claim 1 wherein a leveling screw isprovided to adjust the attachment means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,541,964 2/1951Hennings 172-50l 2,915,130 12/1959 Todd 1723Z1 X 3,068,944 12/1962Renshaw 172449 3,116,939 1/1964 Ward 172-450 OTHER REFERENCES 243,037 1/1963 Australia.

ABRAHAM G. STONE, Primary Examiner.

ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Examiner.

J. R. OAKS, Assistant Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR CONTROLLING GAGE WHEELS AND TOOLS BEING LIFTED OUT OF ORINTO THE GROUND BY A TRACTOR HAVING A PAIR OF HYDRAULIC LIFT ARMS AND APAIR OF PULL TUGS, SAID MEANS INCLUDING A TOOL BAR PIVOTALLY CONNECTEDTO SAID PULL TUGS, A ROCK SHAFT CONNECTED TO SAID TOOL BAR, GAGE LPEVERARM MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROCK SHAFT AND HAVING GAGE WHEEL MEANSMOUNTED THEREON, A ROCK ARM CONNECTED TO SAID ROCK SHAFT, A V-SHAPEDMEMBER HAVING THE ENDS OF THE ARMS THEREOF CONNECTED TO SAID LIFT ARMSAND HAVING THE OTHER END CONNECTED TO SAID ROCK ARM, SAID ATTACHMENTMEANS FURTHER INCLUDING SQUARE-CONFIGURED TELESCOPICALLY ADJUSTABLE MALEAND FEMALE MEMBERS HAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID LIFT ARMSAND THE OTHER END PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID PULL TUGS, SAID FEMALEMEMBERS EACH HAVING AN ELONGATED SLOT IN A PERIPHERAL PORTION THEREOF,SAID MALE MEMBERS EACH HAVING A STOP PIN INSERTABLE THEREIN AND FORENGAGING AN END OF THE ELONGATED SLOT WHEN IN OPERATION FOR LIFTING SAIDGAGE WHEELS AND TOOLS FROM OUT OF THE GROUND AND MEANS TO BIAS SAID MALEAND FEMALE MEMBERS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER FOR DISPLACING SAIDSTOP PIN FROM AN END OF THE ELONGATED SLOT.